A FAMILY stranded by the collapse of their travel firm were given just five minutes to pay for their hotel – or be thrown out on to the streets.

The Lambert family, from Allerton, are stuck in Fuerteventura by the collapse of holiday firm Sun4U.

Their problems began on the first full day of their £1,600 all-inclusive holiday.

After flying out from Manchester Airport on Wednesday for a week on the Spanish island, they checked in to the Oasis Village.

But the following morning when they went to reception to ask for a fan for their room, they were told that the firm they had booked with, Birmingham-based Sun4U, had collapsed – and they had to pay again immediately if they wanted to stay.

Mum Lyn Lambert told the ECHO: “It’s just a nightmare, we are furious that they can get away with it. We booked in February, arrived on Wednesday and the hotel told us on Thursday they wanted the balance.

“We were told we had five minutes to pay or they were going to throw us out. Our holiday was all-inclusive, we only came out with 300-400 euros.”

And it got worse for the family-of-four when they phoned their airline, Monarch, to be told they had not been booked on flights home.

Lyn, husband Terry and children Michael, 15, and four-year-old Leah were then quoted a price of £608 each to fly back – a price which has since risen to £900 each.

“We are lucky enough to have got booked on Easyjet flights,” said Lyn. “Our friend, Sue, has paid £774 and booked them for us. But we don’t yet know if that will be covered by the insurance.”

Husband Michael, a scaffolder, said: “We are not getting any help from ABTA or ATOL. We are not getting anybody to phone us back.

“We tried to get hold of the embassy, but a recorded message just said that if it’s to do with Sun4U to go on the website, but I don’t have access to a computer.”

The Lamberts are among 1,200 people already abroad when Sun4U stopped trading last Wednesday. The firm’s 90 workers lost their jobs.